Vehicle cotrol system with wirelessly-coupled underhood components

ABSTRACT

A vehicle control system (VCS) in a passenger compartment interfaces with underhood components using a Bluetooth® link. The underhood components include a siren assembly with a sound generator and backup battery. The battery enables the siren assembly to function after the vehicle&#39;s battery is disabled. The siren assembly includes a Bluetooth® transceiver for establishing the link with the VCS. The siren assembly monitors the hood of the vehicle through a hood sensor, to detect unauthorized opening. In response to such opening, the siren assembly transmits an alarm to the VCS, which transmits an alarm to a user&#39;s mobile device and/or a security service. The sound generator may also be activated, by itself or under control of the VCS. The siren assembly connects to the engine computer/ignition module, to allow the VCS to monitor engine speed, and facilitate proper start of the engine when the VCS receives a remote start command.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/614,939, entitled VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM WITH UNDERHOODCOMPONENTS, filed Jan. 8, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein, includingSpecification, Figures, Claims, and all other matter.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to the field of vehicular/automotivesecurity, convenience, monitoring, and control products, bothaftermarket and original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

BACKGROUND

A vehicle control system (VCS) typically is an electronic systeminstalled in vehicle for the user's convenience. A VCS can be anaftermarket or an OEM system. The functionality provided by such systemsmay include remote start capability, control of security and conveniencefeatures, climate control, and others.

A need in the art exists for improved techniques for controllingsecurity and convenience features of vehicles equipped with suchsystems. A need in the art exists for facilitating field installation ofsuch systems. A need in the art exists for improved resistance of suchsystems to tampering malicious, and particularly for improved ability ofsuch systems to signal alarms when tampering occurs. A need in the artexists for improved reliability of such systems.

SUMMARY

This document describes embodiments, variants, and examples implementingnovel techniques for addressing one or more of the needs identifiedabove, and/or other needs.

In an embodiment, an aftermarket vehicle siren for installation underhood of a vehicle includes: a sound generator; a backup batteryconfigured to power the siren when battery of the vehicle fails or isdisabled; a Bluetooth® transceiver configured to establish a Bluetooth®communication link with a vehicle control system (VCS) installed in thepassenger compartment of the vehicle; an interface to engine computer ofthe vehicle, configured to enable the siren to determine rpm of theengine of the vehicle and to communicate the rpm to the VCS, so that theVCS is enabled to shut ignition of the engine off in response to the rpmexceeding a predetermined rpm limit and to repeat remote start operationin response to the engine not starting; and a connection to the hoodsensor in the vehicle, to enable the siren to determine when the hood ofthe vehicle is opened, and in response to the hood being opened toactivate the sound generator and to transmit an alarm signal to the VCS.

In an embodiment, a siren assembly for installation under hood of avehicle includes: a sound generator; a backup battery configured topower the siren assembly when battery of the vehicle fails to providepower to the siren assembly; a short range radio frequency (RF)transceiver configured to establish an RF communication link with avehicle control system (VCS) installed in a passenger compartment of thevehicle; an interface to an engine computer of the vehicle, theinterface being configured to enable the siren assembly to determinerotational speed of an engine of the vehicle; and a connection to hoodopen-closed sensor of the vehicle, to enable the siren assembly todetermine when the hood of the vehicle is opened.

The Bluetooth® interface allows installation of the system and/or theVCS without running wires from the engine compartment to the passengercompartment. Various other features and aspects will be betterunderstood with reference to the following description, drawings, andappended claim(s).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates selected components of underhood apparatus forinstallation in a vehicle and functioning in conjunction with a vehiclecontrol system or as part of the vehicle control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The words “embodiment,” “variant,” “example,” and similar words andexpressions as used in this document refer to a particular apparatus,process, or article of manufacture, and not necessarily to the sameapparatus, process, or article of manufacture. Thus, “one embodiment”(or a similar word/expression) used in one place or context may refer toa particular apparatus, process, or article of manufacture; the same ora similar expression in a different place or context may refer to adifferent apparatus, process, or article of manufacture. The expression“alternative embodiment” and similar words and phrases are used toindicate one of a number of different possible embodiments, variants, orexamples. The number of possible embodiments, variants, or examples isnot necessarily limited to two or any other quantity. Characterizationof an item as “exemplary” means that the item is used as an example.Such characterization does not necessarily mean that the embodiment,variant, or example is a preferred one; the embodiment, variant, orexample may but need not be a currently preferred embodiment, variant,or example. All embodiments, variants, and examples are described forillustration purposes and are not necessarily strictly limiting.

The words “couple,” “connect,” and similar words/expressions with theirinflectional morphemes, as well as similar words and phrases, do notnecessarily import an immediate or direct connection, but include withintheir meaning connections through mediate elements, as well as directconnections.

The expression “processing logic” should be understood as selectedsteps/decision blocks and/or hardware/software/firmware for implementingthe selected steps/decision blocks. “Decision block” means a step inwhich a decision is made based on some condition, and subsequent processflow is selected based on whether the condition is met or not.

Some definitions have been explicitly provided above. Other and furtherexplicit and implicit definitions and clarifications of definitions maybe found throughout this document.

FIG. 1 illustrates selected components of underhood apparatus 100 forinstallation in a vehicle and functioning in conjunction with (e.g., aspart of) a vehicle control system, such as (or similar to or havingselected components of) the vehicle control systems described in a nowallowed commonly-owned U.S. patent application entitled REMOTE VEHICLESYSTEM CONFIGURATION, CONTROL, AND TELEMATICS, James S. Turnerfirst-named inventor, Ser. No. 15/862,630, filed on or about Jan. 4,2018, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes,including specification, abstract, figures, and claims. U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/862,630 may be referred to as the “incorporatedapplication.”

The apparatus 100 includes a siren assembly 105, a hood open-closesensor 140, a wired connection 160 to the engine control module (ECM) orignition module of the vehicle, and a vehicle battery connection 180.

In normal operation, the siren assembly 105 is powered by the electricalpower provided by the vehicle battery through the vehicle batteryconnection 180. The vehicle battery may be any battery of the vehicle,such as a battery that powers the starter of a combustion engine of thevehicle, and a battery that powers electric motor(s) of the vehicle'spower train in hybrid and electric vehicles. In case of a failure of thevehicle battery and/or the connection 180, the siren assembly 105 ispowered by its backup battery 110. The battery 110 may be a primarybattery. It can also be a rechargeable battery, such as a Lithium Ion(Li-Ion), Lithium-Polymer (LiPo), Nickle Cadmium (NiCad), Nickle MetalHydride (NiMH), and lithium titanate battery. The use of the word“battery” here means simply one or more cells; the battery 110 may (butneed not) have multiple cells. Although no connections are shown fromthe battery 110 to the other components that use electric power, suchconnections would typically be present.

The siren assembly 105 also includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver115. The transceiver 115 may be a Bluetooth® transceiver capable ofpairing with various Bluetooth®-enabled devices and sending/receivingdata to/from such Bluetooth®-enabled devices; the Bluetooth® transceiver115 may communicate and have active Bluetooth® links with two or moreBluetooth®-enabled. Here, the Bluetooth® transceiver 115 connects thesiren assembly 105 to the VCS or part of the VCS installed in thepassenger compartment of the vehicle. Note, however, that although thisdescription generally refers to Bluetooth® devices, otherrelatively-short range RF technologies may be used instead or inaddition to Bluetooth®. Relatively-short range may be understood ascommunication range comparable to Bluetooth® communication range andradiated power of the order of Bluetooth® power, for example, no morethan two times maximum Bluetooth® power; in examples, the radiated poweris no more than 1.5 times maximum Bluetooth® Low Energy radiated power.

The siren assembly 105 additionally includes a processing module 120,which includes a processor with supporting circuitry, such as memoriesincluding a non-volatile memory storing the machine instructionsexecuted by the processor and configuration information. Theconfiguration information may include the Bluetooth® pairing data forthe VCS. In embodiments, however, the processing module 120 includes aspecial purpose or dedicated processing circuitry, such asapplication-specific integrated circuitry for processing. The processingmodule 120 may execute program code to cause the siren assembly 105 tobe configured as is described throughout this document, and to operatethe other components of the siren assembly 105 to cause these componentsto perform as is described throughout this document.

The siren assembly 105 further includes an interface 125 to the enginecomputer module or ignition module. The interface 125 allows theprocessing block 120 to read/determine the speed (rpm) of the engine ofthe vehicle.

The siren assembly 105 also includes a sound generator 130, that is, thesiren proper. The sound generator 130 is controlled by the processingmodule 120, which can cause the sound generator 130 to emit varioussounds, such as intruder alerts and short warning beeps.

The components of the siren assembly 105 may be contained in anenclosure, which enclosure may facilitate the installation of the sirenassembly 105 in various underhood locations of different vehicles.

In a typical installation, the siren assembly 105 is installed under thehood of the vehicle, and coupled by the vehicle battery connection 180to the vehicle's battery/electrical system, which provides electricalpower for the operation of the siren assembly 105. (The battery 110 mayalso receive charging, power from the battery connection 180, forexample, in embodiments where the battery 110 is a rechargeablebattery.) The hood sensor 140 may be installed on or near the hood lockand coupled by a wired connection to the siren assembly 105, so that theprocessing module 120 can read the state of the hood lock. The hoodsensor 140 may also, or instead sense the state of the hood from anotherlocation, such as on the side/front of the engine compartment where thehood rests in normal operation of the vehicle. Further, the hood sensormay be installed near or be integrated with a strut that holds the hoodin the open position. The hood open-close sensor 140 may be, forexample, a simple contact pair that is read by the processing module 120as a ground when the hood is closed, and as an open circuit, when thehood is open (or vice versa). The wired connection of the hood sensor140 may operate on an interrupt input of the processing module 120, sothat the siren assembly 105 can react substantially immediately to anunauthorized opening of the hood of the vehicle (when the siren assembly105 is in an armed state); for example, the siren assembly may sound analarm through the sound generator 130 and also or instead signal the VCS(or a part of the VCS) installed in the passenger compartment of thevehicle, thorough the Bluetooth® transceiver 115. The VCS ins the armedstate can then transmit an alarm to an authorized user control andcommunication device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, smart key, smartwatch)and/or to an alarm monitoring service. The VCS is in the armed statewhen such state is turned on by the user Or automatically. The armedstate of the VCS corresponds to activation of one or more securityfeatures intended/designed to prevent theft of and/or tampering with thevehicle. The VCS is configured to transmit through the RF communicationlink 103 to the siren assembly 105 an arming signal to arm the sirenassembly in response to the VCS being armed. When the VCS is disarmed(by the user through the user control and communication device), the VCStransmits through the RF communication link 103 a disarming signal tothe siren assembly 105. The siren assembly 105 enters an armed state inresponse to receipt of the arming signal from the VCS, and exits thearmed state in response to receiving a disarming signal from the VCS. Inthe armed state, the siren assembly 105 may activate the sound generator130 in response to sensing opening of the hood through the hoodopen-close sensor 140. When in the armed state, the siren assembly 105may transmit to the VCS through the RF communication link 103 an alarmindication signal, in response to sensing opening of the hood throughthe hood open-close sensor 140.

In operation, when the VCS receives a remote start command (from theuser smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, or remote key, for example), theVCS activates the starter. The VCS then monitors the rotational speed ofthe engine (rpm) during the starter operation and thereafter, so that ifthe engine does not start on the first (or a subsequent) attempt, asdetermined from the engine speed, the VCS can repeat the remote startattempt, and possibly repeat it again, for a predetermined number oftimes. If the remote start results in the engine starting and reachingunsafe operating rpm, the VCS may decide to turn-off the ignition. Forexample, the normal rpm range may be set between 500 and 1500 rpm, withoperation above 2500 rpm deemed unsafe and resulting in the VCS shuttingoff the ignition; rpm between 1500 and 2500 may be considered within acaution range, so that frequent monitoring and appropriate response bythe VCS (such as shutting off the ignition) may be warranted if the rpmsurges above the upper limit or the rpm caution range lasts longer thana predetermined period of time.

The features described throughout this document may be presentindividually, or in any combination or permutation, except where thepresence or absence of specific features (elements/limitations) isinherently required, explicitly indicated, or otherwise made clear fromthe description. This applies whether or not features appear related tospecific embodiments.

Although the process steps and decisions (if decision blocks arepresent) may be described serially in this document, certain stepsand/or decisions may be performed by same and/or separate elements inconjunction or in parallel, asynchronously or synchronously, in apipelined manner, or otherwise. There is no particular requirement thatthe steps and decisions be performed in the same order in which thisdescription lists them or the Figures show them, except where a specificorder is inherently required, explicitly indicated, or is otherwise madeclear from the context. Furthermore, not every illustrated step anddecision block may be required in every embodiment in accordance withthe concepts described in this document, while some steps and decisionblocks that have not been specifically illustrated may be desirable ornecessary in some embodiments in accordance with the concepts. It shouldbe noted, however, that specific embodiments/variants/examples use theparticular order(s) in which the steps and decisions (if applicable) areshown and/or described.

The instructions (machine executable code) corresponding to the methodsteps of the embodiments, variants, and examples disclosed in thisdocument may be embodied directly in hardware, in software, in firmware,or in combinations thereof. A software module may be stored in volatilememory, flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically ProgrammableROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), hard disk,a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or other form of non-transitory storage mediumknown in the art. Exemplary storage medium or media may be coupled toone or more processors so that the one or more processors can readinformation from, and write information to, the storage medium or media.In an alternative, the storage medium or media may be integral to one ormore processors.

This document describes in detail the inventive apparatus, methods, andarticles of manufacture for vehicle control systems with under hoodcomponents connected to the main VCS by a short-range RF link, such as aBluetooth® link. This was done for illustration purposes and, therefore,the foregoing description is not necessarily intended to limit thespirit and scope of the invention(s) described. Neither the specificembodiments of the invention(s) as a whole, nor those of its (or their,as the case may be) features necessarily limit the general principlesunderlying the invention(s). The specific features described herein maybe used in some embodiments, but not in others, without departure fromthe spirit and scope of the invention(s) as set forth herein. Variousphysical arrangements of components and various step sequences also fallwithin the intended scope of the invention(s). Many additionalmodifications are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it will beappreciated by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art that in someinstances some features will be employed in the absence of acorresponding use of other features. The embodiments described above areillustrative and not necessarily limiting, although they or theirselected features may be limiting for some claims. The illustrativeexamples therefore do not necessarily define the metes and bounds of theinvention(s) and the legal protection afforded the invention(s).

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a siren assembly forinstallation under hood of a vehicle; and a vehicle control system (VCS)for installation in a passenger compartment of the vehicle; wherein: thesiren assembly comprises: a sound generator, a backup battery configuredto power the siren assembly when battery of the vehicle fails to providepower to the siren assembly, a short range radio frequency (RF)transceiver configured to establish an RF communication link with theVCS, an interface to an engine computer of the vehicle, the interfacebeing configured to enable the siren assembly to determine rotationalspeed of an engine of the vehicle, a connection to a hood open-closedsensor of the vehicle, to enable the siren assembly to determine whenthe hood of the vehicle is opened, and a processing module configured tocontrol operation of the RF transceiver to communicate with the VCS, toread rotational speed of the engine through the interface, and to sensestate of the hood open-closed sensor through the connection; wherein:the siren assembly is installed in an engine compartment of the vehicle,and the sound generator of the siren assembly is capable of sounding avehicle alarm, the siren assembly is configured to transmit to the VCSthe rotational speed of the engine and the state of the hood open-closedsensor, through the RF communication link, and the VCS is configured toreceive a wireless remote start command from a user device, perform aninitial attempt to start the engine of the vehicle in response to thewireless remote start command, to receive from the siren assembly therotational speed of the engine through the RF communication link, and toperform one or more repeated attempts to start the engine in response tothe engine not starting from the initial attempt, and the VCS is furtherconfigured to receive from the siren assembly the state of the hoodopen-closed sensor and activate the vehicle alarm in response to thehood of the vehicle being opened while the VCS is in an armed state forvehicle security monitoring.
 2. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein theRF transceiver comprises a Bluetooth® transceiver and the RFcommunication link with the VCS is a Bluetooth® communication link. 3.The apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the siren assembly is not connectedto the VCS with a wired communication link.
 4. The apparatus as in claim2, wherein the processing module is further configured to receive anarming signal from the VCS through the RF communication link, place thesiren assembly in an armed state in response to the arming signal, andin response to sensing opening of the hood through the open-closedsensor while in the siren assembly armed state, activate the soundgenerator.
 5. The apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the processing moduleis further configured to transmit to the VCS through the RFcommunication link a signal indicating the vehicle alarm in response tosensing opening of the hood through the open-closed sensor while in thesiren assembly armed state.
 6. The apparatus as in claim 2, wherein theVCS is configured to shut ignition of the engine off in response to therotational speed exceeding a predetermined rpm limit.
 7. The apparatusas in claim 2, wherein: the siren assembly is configured to transmit tothe VCS the rotational speed of the engine through the RF communicationlink; and the VCS is configured to receive from the siren assembly therotational speed of the engine through the RF communication link, and toshut ignition of the engine off in response to the rotational speedexceeding a predetermined rpm limit following the initial attempt tostart the engine.